Counter top construction and the like



Feb. 12, 1963 E. R. SPERAW 3,077,012

COUNTER TOP CONSTRUCTION AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 3. 1959 INVENTOR: Erv/n 2.5 2eraw ATTORNEK tats 3,@?7,@l2 Patented Feb. 12, 1&53

3,677,612 C ZtUNTEl-R TS? fiQNEEitUCTlGN AND THE LIKE Ervin R. Eperaw, 233 Second Ave, Duly (lity, Calif. Filed Dec. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 857,146 2 tllaims. (U. 2Q-74) This invention relates to counter tops, table tops, and other similar types of construction. It has particular application to the edging, trim or molding employed for the edges of counter tops, table tops, vanity tops and the like, such tops being formed from a wood core or base and a plastic surface layer of Formica or the like. (Formica is a trademark of The Formica Company for a hard, laminated plastic material which is available in many colors, shades and patterns. Other suitable plastic surfacing materials may be used for the purpose.)

For simplicity of description counter tops will be referred to primarily but it will he understood that the invention is equally applicable to table tops, to vanity tops and to other similar articles. Also it is applicable to vertical or tilted panels but its principal application is to horizontal members such as counter tops.

In the construction of counter tops, a very popular type of construction consists of a body, core or base of wood, usually plywood, to which is bonded a smooth, hard, rcsistant layer of plastic material such as the abovementioncd Formica. This type of construction has several advantages. it is hard, smooth and resistant to scratches, abrasion and tire. It eliminates joints such as exist between tiles. it is available in a great variety of colors, shades and patterns; for example it can be made to simulate wood, marble, etc.

However, there exists a difficult problem in providing an edging, strip or border for counter tops of this type. (For convenience, the term edging will be used hereafter.)

One type of edging consists of a metal strip fixed to each exposed edge. This is not desirable because, among other things, the metal catches dirt.

Another type of edging consists of a strip of the same plastic surfacing material which is applied to the exposed edge or edges of the counter top. This is disadvantageous because it requires rather expensive equipment and a considerable degree of skill. Also, it forms a fiat vertical edge with no lift or rise to prevent liquids that have been spilled on the counter top from overflowing the edge. Also it leaves an unsightly dark line at the junction with the top.

A more desirable but more expensive edging procedure is carried out by an operation known as post forming. Post forming consists of heating the plastic surfacing material and subjecting it, While heated, to pressure against a mold to form a raised and rounded edge. This has the advantage that it provides a smooth, round raised edge which prevents liquids spilled on a counter from overflowing onto the floor. However, post forming edges is an expensive procedure. Also if there is a corner which exposes two edges, one of the exposed edges cannot be post formed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved means of edging plastic covered counter tops and the like.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a prefabricated edging strip or edge trim for such counter tops and a means for attaching the edging to exposed edges, which provides ease of mounting, which is attractive, and which is securely held in place.

it is a further object of the invention to provide an edging strip or the like which can be prefabricated and installed with ease at the time of installing or manufacturing a counter top, table top or the like.

The above and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description and the appended claims.

Certain forms of the invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded view in transverse section of a plastic covered counter top or the like and a mating edging strip in accordance with the present invention.

FiGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the edging strip in place.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view showing more clearly the attractive appearance of the edging strip of the present invention when in place.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, perspective view showing how the edging means of the present invention lends itself to both outside and inside corners along a counter top or the like.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to that of FlGURE 2 but in which the tongue and groove are reversed.

Referring now to the drawings and preliminarily to FIGURES l and 2, a counter top is shown at it It will be understood that this may be a table top, the top of a vanity or the top of any other article, or even a vertical or tilted panel. An edging strip constructed in accordance with the invention is shown at 111. The counter top lit has a base or core 12; which is usually of plywood but may be of any other material, such as solid natural wood or a composition material. Applied thereto is a layer, indicated by the reference numeral 13, of plastic material such, for example, as Formica or any other suitable, hard, usually laminar plastic surfacing material. The plastic layer i3 is bonded to the base or core 12 by means of a suitable adhesive. Pressure and an elevated temperature may be employed to effect a secure bond.

The core or base 12 and plastic layer 13 are cut away along an edge at 14 to form a tongue 15. In order that the tongue 15 may have a precise vertical dimension or thickness, the core is undercut at 115.

It is an important feature of the present invention that the core 12 is cut away both at the top at 14- and at the bottom at 16, because plywood and other structural materials employed for the purpose vary slightly in actual thickness. It is important in connection with the present invention that the edging strip 11 be tightly and securely mounted. Nevertheless, it should be easy to mount the edging strip. I achieve this dual object, in part, by cutting away the core 12 both at the top at 114 and at the bottom at 16 in such manner that the tongue 15 has a precise vertical dimension or thickness and so that the dimension d (that is the vertical distance between the top surface of the tongue 15 and the top surface of the plastic layer 13) is also precise.

Stat-ed otherwise, an undercut is provided at 16 whose vertical dimension will vary from one counter top to another in accordance with variations in thickness of the core material. I therefore provide dimensions with very close tolerances where they are needed, namely, in the thickness of the tongue 15 and in the vertical distance d from the upper surface of the tongue 15 to the upper surface of the plastic layer 13. The vertical dimension of the undercut 16 is variable.

The edging strip 11 is formed of a core material 29, preferably wood, to which is bonded a plasti material 13a. The plastic material 13a will usually be the same type of material as the counter top material 13. However, the plastic material 13a may be of a different type, and it is an important advantage of the invention that the material 13a may be of a different color, shade and/or pattern, as is explained more fully hereinafter. The material 13a is bonded to the core 2% by a suitable adhesive, with the aid of heat and pressure if necessary. It will be seen that the shape of the core 20 and hence the shape of the surface material 13a is generally round. However, other shapes may be employed.

As is most clearly shown in FIGURE 1, the core 20 is recessed slightly at 21 to form a narrow lip or overhang 22 of the surfacematerial 13a. The core is further recessed or channeled at 23 to form a groove. The shape and dimensions of the groove 23 are such that it forms a snug but not difficult fit with the tongue 15 and such that, when the parts It) and 11 are brought together, the lip 22 will overlap slightly the adjacent edge of the plastic layer 13. Alsothe lip 22 will be in actual contact with or very close to the plastic layer 13. That is to say, the edging strip 11 is formed with certain close, precise dimensions and with certain variable or non-critical dimensions. The vertical dimension of the groove 23 and the vertical distance from the top of the groove 23 to the lip 22 are precise. The vertical distance from the bottom of the groove 23 to the bottom of the edging strip is not critical and may vary substantially.

When the parts 10 and 11 are about to be mounted together, a suitable adhesive is applied along the mating surfaces and any excess is wiped away. the edging strip 11 maybe fixed in place by nails or screws applied from underneath, whichhas the advantage, especially where screws are applied, that the strip can be easily removed when desired and replaced by a different strip having'a different color and/or pattern. sired, the fit between the tWo parts can be made tight enough that no attachment means are required. Preferably the parts are glued together.

fad-which is plastic covered and which has three expose-d edges, an outside corner at 31 and an inside corner at 32. Three edging strips 11a, 11b and 110 are shown, each constructed and mounted as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. Merely by making appropriate 45 cuts at the abutting ends of the edging strips 11a, 11b and lie the two corners are constructed.

Referring now to FIGURE 5, a counter top 40 covered with plastic 41 and an edging strip 42 covered with plastic 43 are shown as in FIGURES 1 and 2 but with the tongue and groove reversed. That is, the core 44 of counter top 48 is formed with a groove at 45 which has a precise thickness and whose vertical distance from the top of the plastic 41 is precise; and the core 46 of the strip 42 is formed with a tongue 47 having a precise thickness to fit the groove 45 snugly. Also, the vertical distance of the tongue 47 from a projecting lip 48 of the plastic 43 is such that the latter touches or is very close to the plastic 41. To add strength the nails or screws may be passed diagonally from the underside of the core 46 into the core 44.

The modification in FIGURE has many of the advantages of that of FIGURES 1 and 2 but the latter is preferred because of its greater strength.

Several advantages of the present invention will be apparent, among which are the followingz The edging can be prefabricated at a mill equipped with prop-er tools Whose expense would be prohibitive for small shops. The cuts at 14 and'16 in the counter top can be made without difficulty. The edging is easy to install. It provides the advantage of a -rolled, raised, post formed edge Without the great expense of post forming. It provides an opportunity for a variety of contrasting colors, shades Alternatively,

Or, if de- 1 Referring now to FIGURE 4, a counter top is shown at.

and patterns because the color, shade and pattern of the plastic on the edging need not be the same as on the counter top. The edging has an attractive rounded appearance, whereas other forms of edging do not. Even post formed edging, although it has a rounded shoulder, has a vertical face. The entire exposed portion of the edging strip of the present invention is rounded unless another shape is preferred. The edging of the present invention is also adapted to outside and inside corners.

It will, therefore, be apparent that a novel and very advantageous form of edging has been provided for plastic covered counter tops, table tops and the like.

I claim:

1. A construction comprising a fiat, table-like member having a woodenbase to which is bonded a layer of hard plastic material, said flat member having at least one edge formed with a projecting tongue formed from the base, said tongue having a predetermined vertical dimension and being located at a predetermined vertical distance from the upper surface of said plastic material; and an edging strip for said edge, said edging strip comprising a Wooden core formed with an inside face adjacent said edge and with a rounded outside face, and a layer of plastic material bonded to said rounded face; said inside face being formed with a groove mating within close tolerances with said tongue; said layer of plastic on said strip having a lip overhanging said inside face slightly; the vertical distance between said groove and face being such that said lip lies closely adjacent the layer of plastic on said fiat member; said strip projecting above said flat member to form a raised, rounded edge therefor.

2. In a counter top in which a horizontally extended member is formed of a base of relatively soft material with a hard plastic planar surface layer bonded thereto, an edging strip for covering the exposed edges of said counter top, said edging strip comprising: an elongated core of relatively soft material having a flat mounting face for engaging said exposed edge, a short connecting face'having a terminating edge and extending at right angles to said mounting face for engaging the surface of said plastic surface layer and a cylindrically curved outer face intersecting said connecting face, the intersection of said curved face with said connecting face forming said terminating edge, a hard plastic curved surface layer bonded to said curved outerface, the edge of said curved surface layer overlying said terminating edge and being shaped to form an extension of said connecting face; and a mating tongue and groove connecting member formed on said mounting face and said exposed edge, said connecting member being dimensioned and positioned to provide engagement of said connecting face across its full Width with said planar surface layer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A FLAT, TABLE-LIKE MEMBER HAVING A WOODEN BASE TO WHICH IS BONDED A LAYER OF HARD PLASTIC MATERIAL, SAID FLAT MEMBER HAVING AT LEAST ONE EDGE FORMED WITH A PROJECTING TONGUE FORMED FROM THE BASE, SAID TONGUE HAVING A PREDETERMINED VERTICAL DIMENSION AND BEING LOCATED AT A PREDETERMINED VERTICAL DISTANCE FROM THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID PLASTIC MATERIAL; AND AN EDGING STRIP FOR SAID EDGE, SAID EDGING STRIP COMPRISING A WOODEN CORE FORMED WITH AN INSIDE FACE ADJACENT SAID EDGE AND WITH A ROUNDED OUTSIDE FACE, AND A LAYER OF PLASTIC MATERIAL BONDED TO SAID ROUNDED FACE; SAID INSIDE FACE BEING FORMED WITH A GROOVE MATING WITHIN CLOSE TOLERANCES WITH SAID TONGUE; SAID LAYER OF PLASTIC ON SAID STRIP HAVING A LIP OVERHANGING SAID INSIDE FACE SLIGHTLY; THE VERTICAL DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID GROOVE AND FACE BEING SUCH THAT SAID LIP LIES CLOSELY ADJACENT THE LAYER OF PLASTIC ON SAID FLAT MEMBER; SAID STRIP PROJECTING ABOVE SAID FLAT MEMBER TO FORM A RAISED, ROUNDED EDGE THEREFOR. 